This invention relates to a method and composition for increasing the levels or release of brain serotonin.
At the present time, it is known that brain serotonin levels or release (in neuronal synapses) can be increased by administering to a patient, the amino acid, L-tryptophan while reducing the level of other large neutral amino acids as low as possible so that the other amino acids do not compete with tryptophan for uptake in the brain. It is also known that tryptophan administered in conjunction with a carbohydrate which causes insulin secretion has the effect of potentiating the effect of tryptophan to raise brain serotonin levels by virtue of the fact that the insulin reduces blood plasma levels of competing large neutral amino acids. This is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,210,637. It is also known that the levels or release of brain serotonin can be increased by administering, to a patient the hormone, melatonin, which is the hormone normally secreted at night by the human pineal gland. It is believed that the administration of melatonin affects brain serotonin levels or release by a mechanism much different than that of tryptophan, namely, affecting the firing of serotonin-containing neurons.
It would be desirable to provide a means for increasing the release or levels of brain serotonin in a patient in order to facilitate behavioral and physiological functions that depend upon the release of this neurotransmitter. For example, increasing brain serotonin levels facilitates sleep onset and improves the quality of sleep; diminishes appetite, especially for carbohydrates, thereby facilitating weight loss; diminishes sensitivity to painful stimuli; facilitates adaptation to a shift in time zones, thus diminishing "jet-lag"; and is helpful in treating psychiatric disorders including, but not limited to, mania and depression.